Some sleuthing of my own quickly unearthed certain
outrages among fans and aficionados of English crimester Agatha
Christie: her 1934 book of the same name was indeed about convalescing
aristocrats, exotic snakes and Chinoiserie but Miss Marple, one of her
serial detectives, was absent! The makers of this 2009 telemovie chose
to insert her into the crime-solving.

Being ignorant of her books (never having read a single
one), I would have been happy without knowing this. Yet even while I was
watching, I couldn’t help but notice that the duo of two youngsters, a
boy and a girl, were doing quite well at working it all out. Miss Marple
(Julia McKenzie) floats around knitting, visibly superfluous. I
initially thought that was part of her genius—solving passively—but it
was actually a symptom of the decision to insert the character. My hunch
is that the whole dirty scheme was a marketing manoeuvre. Her name and
image are all over the cover.

But moving on from this insanely minute tirade, I have to
say it was quite watchable. You keep wanting to know what happens next
in this big old house full of eccentrics: the creepy, deficient
siblings, for example. In fact, it was so good to see Hannah Murray
again (she played Cassie in Skins), especially as a posh freak.

I have to say though, the whole affair is a bit twee. You
have to be a fan of the BBC look, England and English actors to get much
out of Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? I wouldn’t recommending
spending money on something you’re vaguely curious about because it’s no
mystery: you’ll be disappointed. My friend says hunt down adaptations
that are more faithful to the books. But a Christie fan would say that,
eh?